Our Artist Directory highlights hundreds of local artists who are 18 years of age or older and reside in Tallahassee and/or the Big Bend Region (within a 100 mile radius of Tallahassee) working in visual arts, music, theatre, literature, filmmaking and more. Contact information is included so that visitors can not only see the wide variety of talent in our community, they can also purchase artwork or hire professional services from artists and performers of all disciplines. Check back often as listings are added regularly.

I love patterns.
Patterns inspire systems of sequence and classification, and if there is anything that nears equal to my love of patterns it would be my desire to design systems of organization that can be visually attractive when actualized. Drawing fabrics, hair, jewelry or just patterns is exactly that; an elegantly structured arrangement at best, or at least an ordered assembly. I find the entirety of this process to be terribly stimulating, and that excitement is what drives me forward.
Some days I even fall in love with my work. Those are really good days. Other days I can look at a project and know that I have destroyed it, or am getting perilously close to ruining something precious. This second experience is less amorous than the first, but even when I have thoroughly discouraged myself or proved inept at translating my internal vision into a tangible form of visual expression, I always return prepared to work a problem again from a different angle. I know I am meant to be an artist because no matter what happens I am always pulled back to my creative process. No matter what, I know that I will always draw, paint, and sew.
Anthropology is another point of fascination, especially when there is a structured model involved, like the Hierarchy of Needs or a Hero with a Thousand Faces. I would think it fair to say that a common theme across all my projects (regardless of medium or series) would be the resonance of archetype in cross-cultural storytelling. The more history I absorb, the more similarity and overlap I recognize. Celebrating the details that humanity agrees on has always seemed a worthy focus for my efforts. Especially when comparing the conceptual storytelling models we as western culture choose to perpetuate verses the stories we try to bury, and how this compares with the ideals of the rest of the globe. Fascinating stuff.
As to media, I like markers and inks right now. I was into oil paints and graphite last winter and the spring before that was all-colored-pencil-all-the-time. Some artists like to work with only one or two mediums and I applaud their dedication. But for myself, I like to be able to feel reasonably competent in as many stylistic forms as possible. This stems from my personal belief that it is important for me to keep up a well rounded skill set. I enjoy usable skills, and work to cultivate them. Moreover, I believe that there is an invaluable spiritualism that comes with hands on creation, and I want to be able to express that feeling in as many was as I can.

EDUCATION
2003 – 2005 Master of Divinity
Asbury University, Asbury Theological Seminary, Orlando, FL
2001 – 2003 First Half of Master of Divinity
Duke University, Divinity School, Durham, NC
1996 – 2000 Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art with a Minor in Spanish
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
Studied Abroad in London, England; San Jose, Costa Rica; and Torremolinos, Spain
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Spring Semester 2017: Participated in 1 Class at Florida State University:
Advanced Painting with Mark Messersmith
Fall Semester 2016: Participated in 3 Classes at Florida State University:
Painting with Judy Rushin
Advanced Ceramics with Holly Hanessian
Figure Painting with Mark Messersmith
Spring Semester 2015: Participated in a Ceramics Handbuilding Class: Eight One-on-One Sessions of Instruction through the Jacksonville Art League under Aileen Scurato, Jacksonville, FL.
March 2014: Participated in an Encaustic Painting Multiday Workshop at Spring Art Week, at Ringling College under Elena De La Ville, Sarasota, FL.
CURRENT
January 2017 to Present Adjunct Humanities Professor
Tallahassee Community College
January 2010 to Present Founder and Director of Grace Works Studio
I create art; equip others to use art and creativity in their own work and personal lives as a means of expressing their spirituality, and connecting with themselves and others; serve as artist-in-residence for at-risk kids and communities; facilitate retreats for adults, youth, and children; bring art into worship spaces; create backdrops for musicals; and use art as a way to cultivate spiritual development, both to individuals and in group workshops.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Fall Semester 2016: Served As A Volunteer Monitor For The Art Teaching Labs Of Florida State University, Monday And Wednesday Mornings.
2014 To Present: Member Of Reconciling Ministries Network, A United Methodist Organization That Works For The Full Inclusion Of All Persons, Including All Sexual Orientations And Gender Identities.
September 2015: Served As Artist-In-Residence And Workshop Leader, Using Watercolors As A Means To Facilitate Meditation, In Melbourne, FL.
July 2014: Served As Artist-In-Residence And A Keynote Speaker At The Statewide United Methodist Fellowship Of Worship Arts Summer Workshop.
Spring 2014: Facilitated Three One-On-One Sessions Using Art For Self-Exploration And Contemplation In Neptune Beach, FL.
January 2014: Workshop Leader: Equipped Church Leaders With Strategies For Integrating The Arts Into Worship And How To Help Others Grow Spiritually Through Creative And Hands-On Means.
November 2013: Artist-In-Residence Demonstrating Art As A Spiritual Discipline In Yaguaramas, Cuba To Elementary And Middle School Students At Iglesia Metodista De Yaguaramas.
June 2013: Served As Artist-In-Residence At The Duke Youth Academy, Which Included Teaching A Class Entitled Contemplative Painting That Introduced Watercolor Painting As A Way To Meditate. I Also Helped Plan A Creative And Artistic Integrated Worship Experience With A Team Of About 20 High School Students And A Few Adults.
Spring And Fall Semesters 2010: Volunteered As An Artist-In-Residence: At Community United Methodist Church In Fruitland Park, FL, Working With And Teaching Art Classes To Upper Elementary Students.
July 2010: Served As Artist-In Residence In The Historic African-American Community Of Royal, FL. Taught Watercolors To Students. This Program Was Fully Funded Via A Grant.
Spring 2010: Served As Artist-In Residence In The Historic African-American Community Of Royal, FL: Taught Watercolors To Persons Aging From 2 To 90 Something. Orchestrated A Community Installation Piece, 40 Acres And A Mule, A 40-Canvas, Intergenerational, Interracial Community Piece, Which Is Permanently On Display As Part Of The Public Collection At The A.A. Young Historical Center. This Program Was Fully Funded Via A Grant.
EXHIBITION WORK
December 2016: Solo Exhibition
Wonky Wonderland Installation
Murrow Hall, John Wesley United Methodist Church, Tallahassee, FL
July 2014:
Solo Exhibition
Large Textile Piece: Acrylic on Canvas (11’ X 6’)
Exhibited at United Methodist Fellowship of Worship Arts Summer Workshop
October 2011:
Group Exhibition: Drawn into Scripture: Arts and the Life of the Church
In a Juried Competition,
Selected as One of the Exhibiting Artists at Duke University in Durham, NC
COLLECTIONS
Public Collection
40 Acres and A Mule 12 of 40 Canvases
Permanently Exhibited at A.A. Young Historical Center
Royal, FL, Historic African American Community
Private Collection, Belleview, FL
Private Collection, Durham, NC
Private Collection, Fort Myers, FL
Private Collection, Neptune Beach, FL
Private Collection, Chesapeake, VA
Private Collections, Tallahassee, FL
Private Collection, Washington D.C.
Private Collection, Winter Springs, FL

Julie Kurisko is a Jill of all Trades with abilities in Living History Interpretation, Theatrical Performance, Costume Construction, Sacred & Historical Embroidery, Storytelling, Vocal & Instrumental Music and Historical Dance. She has worked with Mission San Luis, Theater with a Mission, Capital City Shakespeare in the Park, Theater Tallahassee, the Oldenfeld Ensemble, Company of St. Vitus Medieval & Renaissance Dance, Florida State University Opera Department, and WTAL & WVFS Radio. She was one of the founding members of the FSU Capital Children’s Chorus.

A classically trained artist whom continuously crashes heads with established notions of what art and artists should be; he stresses the importance of artists using their lives and creativity as a platform from which they can create positive change. Jacoub works primarily as a printmaker. His work is most often put together from salvaged materials as he painstakingly searches for discarded matter he can use to create his highly technical and majestic imagery. For Jacoub the art is living in the process and moving forward from a waste driven society.

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ABOUT COCA

COCA, the Council on Culture & Arts, is a non-profit organization that serves as the facilitator and voice for the arts and cultural industry in Florida's capital area. COCA provides information and promotes the arts and culture to both citizens and visitors